Software Piracy Fines, Act, Penalties, Laws And Rewards
Software piracy is the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted software. This can be done by copying, downloading, sharing, selling, or installing multiple copies onto personal or work computers via p2p software. What most people don’t know or don’t think about is that when you pay for a copy of software, you are actually purchasing a license to use it, not the actual software. The license is what tells you how many times you can install the software, usually one installation per computer; some comes with a maximum of 3 computers. If you make more copies of the software than the license permits, you are pirating.
Where to Report Software Piracy
Commercial programs that are made available to the public illegally are often called warez, also known as pirated software. Is your office using pirated software? Report Software piracy and be rewarded, software piracy reward varies depending on the scale of piracy committed by the offender reported by you. The minimum payout is a handsome five figures American dollars.
If you suspect that a coworker, colleague or even an ex-employer is using or selling unlicensed software, report software piracy to the Business Software Alliance.
Software Piracy Act and Laws
- WIPO Copyright and Performances and Phonograms Treaties Implementation Act
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
Software Piracy Rate by Region
Thirty-five percent of the software in the world is pirated. Software piracy is not only a crime, but it can destroy computers and data. More software piracy research and statics at the official BSA website.
More information on software Piracy
Wikipedia – Copyright infringement of software
BSA – Business Software Alliance
B4USurf website – Information for educators and parents
Report Suspected Software Piracy And Copyright Infringement
What is Software Piracy
Software piracy refers to installing unauthorized copy of computer software without paying for the original or unauthorized distribution, reproduction and mislicensing. Copyright infringement comes in many form, back in the days before broadband is widely available, software piracy comes in the form of CDs whereas today, software piracy has evolved and now includes movies, mp3, eBooks, stock photos and more.
Software piracy is impossible to stop due to p2p technology such as bittorrent. Originally, software companies tried to stop software piracy by copy-protecting their software. This strategy failed because most countries have copyright laws which apply to software, but degree of enforcement varies.
Software piracy in China – Microsoft admits that piracy of its Windows operating system has helped give it huge market share (90%) in China that will boost its revenues when these users “go legit.” Bill Gates said, “It’s easier for our software to compete with Linux when there’s piracy than when there is not.
Consequences of Software Piracy
From a law point of view, if you or your company is caught with illegal copies of software, you may face criminal prosecution. If you are convicted for offences relating to infringing copies of software, you face not only a criminal record, but also a fine from a minimum of USD1,000 to USD10,000 for each infringing copy, a prison sentence of up to 5 years, or both.
From a business point of view, you will lose precious time getting back the confiscated computers, a lost of productivity because your worker don’t have computers to work on and not to mention all the data needed to run your office is not available. Time is money.
Anti Piracy Software, Tools and resources
With the B4USurf website, Busines Software Alliance (BSA) and its partners aim to provide educators and parents with the information and educational resources to help youths understand the dangers that exist online and how to surf safely and responsibly.
Report Suspected Software Piracy Offender
If you have any information regarding a person pirating software, you can make a report at BSA’s website. If the offender is caught and found guilty by the court, you as the informant will be rewarded handsomely.
More information on software Piracy
Wikipedia – Copyright infringement of software
BSA – Business Software Alliance
Microsoft – How to tell Software Piracy from the original
